Saturday, January 18, 2014

You know when you get so close to your destination, that nothing will stand
in your way? You need gas, but you have enough to get you there; you need to
pee, but you can hold it; you need to rest, but you’re wide awake? Well, that’s
where I am right now. I am so close to my goal, I can feel it. The end is in
site. I have been talking about the end of this road trip since the beginning. I
knew the day would come, but I find it hard to believe that day is in site. As
much as I would like to speed ahead and get there faster, I know that I still
have to maintain the speed limit. Nothing would suck more than to get pulled
over and delayed at this point in the journey. No, I have to keep doing what’s
gotten me to this point— stay the course.

I have been on the road for so long that it just has become second nature.
And really, when I think about it, I feel that’s why I've been successful. I
didn't do anything crazy, I just lived. And for all of the living that I have
done over the last 2+ years, there is no reason to change anything now. If I
show up to the dance with the Prom King, why would I change partners at the last
minute? I wouldn't, I would (and should) stay with the one who brought me to the
Ball. This is the life I am living now. My old life is the past, and chances are
good that I didn't have much of a future had I stayed on that path. Things are
different now. I am different now. I just need to keep moving forward. I realize
that theme has surfaced many times here, but it’s true. Why would I want to stay
in one place, when the world around me continues to move?

Sometimes, as I think about this journey, I’m reminded of going to my
Grandparents’ house on Lake Lanier. GA 400 used to end at their exit (or was it
that their exit was at the end of 400?) Whatever the case, I knew we were
getting close to the exit because I saw the flashing caution signs. I knew that
the road would be ending soon. But you know what? We got off 400 and went on
another road. That’s what this road trip is about and what the future holds. The
orange flashing lights are in site, but once I get there, I need to exit and get
on another road. Who knows where that road will lead, but who cares? The future
is a blank page, an unwritten book. It’s about damn time I sat down and put some
words on that page!